Stringed musical instrument.



No. 690,263. Patented Dec. 3|, I901;

R. GABRIELSKY. STBINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application filed Apr. 4, 1901.1

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)-

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No. 690,263. P atente d'Dec. 31, I90].

n. sABmELsK STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application fllad Apr. 4, 1901.!

' (No Model.) 2 Sheet.-Sheat 2.

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i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

RIOHARDGABRIELSKY, or JERSEY :CITY, NEW JERSEY.

STRINGED MUSlCAL INSTRUMENT].

SPEGIFILCA'DION forming part of'Letter's Patent No. 690,263, dated December 3]., 1901.

a ease; filed April 4, 1901. I

To It whom, it may concern:

Be it knownthatl, RICHARD GABItIELSKY,

a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Stringed Musical. Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full,;clear, and ex-. act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to'whichf'it appertains to make and use. the same.

Thisinvention relates to mechanical or'seif-i playing stringed musical instruments-such as zithers, autoharps, and the like in which the' strings are mechanically struck and sounded by hammers and-suitable operating mechanism connecting with star-wheels;

The object of my inventio-nfis to provide an improved self-playing "or. mechanically-Q actuated stringed musical-instrument which is simple in construction and arrangement,

,notliable to get outjoforder, and which shall be effective for producingclear harmonious One a s eciaiotjct is ito pro vide f striking and sounding the strings byh'arn v niers, also for damping the strings by means "of'soft fiexiblefdevices applied to thezhammers.

' Another object to provide for giving a piano toneior effect by means ofarod and long eccentric adapted tov bear upon the .faces [or edges of the elbow levers with which the hammers are-connected. ,Theparts and combinationsof parts constit uting'my invention will beset forth in the claims.

. ical devicesfor playingthe same. Fig. 2 representsa verticaltransverse section of 1 the same-on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3represents a rear sid'ee'levation showingthe star-wheels and part of, the sounding-board. Fig; 4 representsadetail-view,.on enlarged scale,' showling ahan'umer, star-wheeL-and connecting mechanism. Fig. 5 represents a rear elevatiomon enlargedscale,'sh0wing part of the in the usual manner.

Seria1No.54,3Q9.' (Nomodeh) ,star wheelsand the retarding or pressure.

springs therefor.

p I have shown theimproved devices consti-. tuting my inventionapplied to azither; but

they may be applied-j to otherstringedmusioalinstruments. H I

,The strings 2 are stretched over the sounding-board land attached to the tuning-pins The frame 3, carrying the'star-Wheels, tune sheet ordisk, and operatingfmechanism, is clamped to the,sound-' 1ing-board-1, as shown inFigs.- 2 and 3, and a separate frame4, which may he called the .jhanimer-frameflids secured at one end to said frame 3 andat or near theother end is supported :by a post 4, fixed in the soundingboard, as shown in Fig.1, The supportingpost 4? maybe placedat any convenient part- -'0'f,the frame.

For the purpose of illustration I have shown'onlypart of-the strings and.

hammers therefor inFigs. 1 and 2, though it will beunderstood that in practice the strings are stretched over the whole width of the sounding-hoard. Thestar-wheels 5, of which "there is one for each hammer, are placed loosely on a shaftG, which is supported in the posts 7. These posts 7 are arranged one between each pair of the adj acentstar-wheels and serve for spacing them apart.

' provided at the rear with transverseslots 8 for They are inserting the rod or shaftG, which carries the star-wheels, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. At

certain intervals on the shaft 6 are placed the rollers 9,which are of slightly greater diameter than the star-wheels for supporting the tune sheetor disk 13. Other rollers 10, supported on a swinging shaft, bear upon the upper surface of the tune-sheet 13. Any suitable gearing 11 is employed for turning the tunesheet 13, and a handle 12 may be applied for turning the gearing by hand. Any suitable mechanical power may be substituted for the handle or crank12. The tune sheet or disk 13 is supported centrally upon the post 14, so that its teeth or note projections will engage with the points ofthe star-wheels, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. Certain pressuresprings 15 are set in an inclined position ina metal strip l5 ,as shown in Fig. 5,and arranged to bear upon the faces of the star-wheels for retarding or holding them steady, so as to hold each of them in place after it has been moved by a tooth of the tune-sheet. An inclined spring-presser 15 is arranged to bear upon each star-wheel.

Just in front of the posts 7 are secured a series of posts 16, to the upper ends of which are pivotally connected the elbow-levers 17 by means of a rod 18, passing through the posts and levers, as shown inFig. 4. The elbow-levers are properly spaced apart on the rod 18 andare so arranged that the outer end of each lever will be engaged by the teeth of a corresponding star-wheel, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The upper ends of levers 17 are perforated for attaching the connectingwires 26, which are also attached to the hammers 19. The series of hammers 19 are pivotally connected to the-short posts 20, arranged all along the front inclined bar 4 of the frame 4, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The hammers are made with comparatively wide lower ends, which strike the strings, and are provided above their pivots with upwardlyprojecting lugs 21, which are perforated for attaching the connecting-wires 26. They are also each provided with a rear extension-lug 22, to which is applied a spiral spring 23,,

which bears at its lower end upon the bar 4? of the frame, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The

horizontal part of the hammer 19 is preferably made thin and flexible or springy, so that it will readily rebound after striking the string. The wide lower end of each hammer or any desired number thereof is provided with a hole 19 and a notch 19 for attaching the soft flexible damper 25. This damping device maybe a string of fibrous material or other soft and flexible material. This damping device passes around under the string 2 and damps such stringin a satisfactory manner.

In order to produce a piano tone or effect, I provide a rod 27, having an eccentric '28 along its length, the rod being supported in hearings in brackets 29, which may be secured to the posts 16. The eccentric 28 is so placed that it may be turned to bear lightly or more strongly upon the front edges of the elbowlevers 17. The eccentric rod 27 will be turned and adjusted by the head or disk 31, as shown in Fig. 1. The eccentric 28 being turned to bear upon the front edges of the elbow-levers 17 will slightly arrest the forward movement of said levers when released from the star-Wheels and will therefore prevent the connected hammers 19 from striking the strings 2 with as much force as they otherwise would. A softer tone is therefore produced.

It will be understood that astar-wheel when engaged by a tooth of the tune sheet or disk will be partly rotated, thereby pressing down the adjacent end of an e1bow-lever and raising a hammer. Now when the elbow-lever is released the spring 23 will act to throw the hammer down onto the string to sound the same. This action of the spring is important the sounding-board, and pivoted hammers for striking the same, of a series of star-wheels, intermediate connections and actuating devices adapted to be engaged by the starwheels, for actuating the hammers, substan tially as described.

2. In a mechanical musical instrument, the

combination with strings stretched over the sounding-board, and a series of star-wheels,

of pivoted hammers, pivoted elbow-levers adapted to be engaged by the starwheels-,- and connections from said levers to the hammers, substantiallyv as described.

3. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with the strings anda series of star-Wheels, of a series of pivoted hammers, a spring for each hammer, a series of elbowlevers adjacent to the star-wheels, and connections therefrom to the hammers, substantially as described. r

4. In a mechanicalmusical instrument, the

combination with the hammers, elbow-levers and connections, of a rod having an eccentric.

adapted to be turned to bearmore or lessupon said elbow-levers for giving a pianotone or effect, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with astring and a hammer therefor, of a damping device applied to the striking endof the hammer, substantially as described.

6. Ina mechanical musical instrument, the

combination with a string-and hammer there: for, of a flexible damping device attached to the striking end'of the hammer and passing around the string, substantially as described. 1 7. In a mechanical. musical instrnmentga I l horizontalstring,a pivoted hammerabovethe string having a comparatively Wide striking end, a lug projectingabove the pivot-for attachiug a connecting-wire, a rearwardly-p roecting lug and a spring bearingthereon to throw the hammer-down upon the string,sub t stantially as described. I i 8. In a mechanical musical instrument, a horizontal string, a pivoted ham m or above the string and having a lug projecting above its pivot, a connecting-wire attached tosaid lug,

an actuating device to which said wire is also connected, and a spring connecting with each hammer to throw it down upon the string, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD GABRIELSKY. Witnesses:

OHAs. I. OURTIs, HENRY F. RoUNDYoK. 

